Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital city of the Roman Empire from 330 to 395, of the Byzantine Empire from 395 to 1204 and from 1261 to 1453, and of the Latin Empire from 1204 to 1261. It was founded in 324 on the site of the ancient Greek colony of Byzantium, and it was named after its founder, Emperor Constantine the Great, who intended to create a "New Rome" with a strongly Christian character. It was dedicated on 11 May 330, and it was the richest city in Europe from the mid-15th century to the early 13th century; it was notably home to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Imperial Palace, the Galata Tower, the Hippodrome, the Golden Gate, Hagia Sophia, and the University of Constantinople. The city's strong defenses survived several Persian, Arab, and barbarian sieges, but it was sacked by Crusaders in 1204. The city was the capital of the crusader Latin Empire until 1261, when the Byzantines reclaimed their old capital, and it enjoyed a partial recovery following its reconquest. By the early 1400s, it was reduced to an enclave surrounded by the Ottoman Empire, which conquered the rest of the Byzantine Empire; on 29 May 1453, the city fell to the Turks, and it was renamed to Istanbul and became the new capital of the Ottoman Empire.